"Really! I never heard of her." Mrs. Fennell smiled and laid a soft hand upon her guest's arm. "Elizabeth Courtenay was frantically jealous of you." "Of me? I don't understand." "She and Bert are great friends--and he's gone perfectly daft over you. Why, he's telling everybody." Lorelei flushed, to the evident amusement of her hostess, who ran on: "Oh, Bert means it! I never heard him rave so. Quite a compliment, my dear! He declares he's going to win you, so make up your mind to it--he never takes 'no' for an answer." With a playful pat she went on her way, leaving the young wife weak with dismay. When Bob came in he betrayed an elation only too familiar. "You've been drinking!" cried Lorelei. "I had to; I ran fifteen three times. My abstinence is the marvel of the whole party. Why, Clayton has composed a song about it." "I'm afraid--" "Say! You can't help sneezing when you have a cold. What's a fellow going to do in a crowd like this? But don't worry, I know when to quit." In truth he did seem better able to take care of himself than most of the men Lorelei had seen, so she said no more. As he throttled himself with his evening tie Bob gasped: "Having a good time?" "Ye-es!" Lorelei could not summon courage for a negative answer; she could not confess that her dream had turned out wretchedly, and that what Bob seemed to consider simply the usual thing impressed her as abnormal and wanton. "Well, that's good," he said. "I'm not strong for these week-end slaughters, but it's something you'll have to do." "Is all society like--this?" she inquired. "Um-m, yes and no! Society is like a layer-cake--" "Because it's made of dough?" Bob laughed. "Partly! Anyhow, the upper crust is icy, and while the lower layer is just as rich as those above, it's more indigestible. There's the heavy, soggy layers in between, too. I don't know any of that crowd. They're mostly Dodos--the kind that endow colleges. This younger set keeps the whole cake from getting tasteless." After a while Lorelei ventured: "I'm still a little nervous. I wish you'd stay close to me this evening." "Can't be done," Bob declared. "It's a rule at Fennellcourt that husbands must ignore their wives. Betty doesn't invite many married couples, and a wife-lover is considered a pest. When in Rome do as the tourists do." Lorelei finished dressing in silence.